Steelcase
Ocular™ View
I led the design exploration and conceptual research for Project Ghost, under an internship with Steelcase in collaboration with Logitech. The work under Project Ghost established the functional foundation and subsequent execution for commercial launch under the product name Ocular View.
The defining goals for Project Ghost were centered on humanizing technology saturated meetings, by displaying digital participants at life-size with an emphasis on natural gaze & eye contact. An initial prototype was presented by Logitech, which became the foundation for the exploration and research done at Steelcase. To further humanize the digital experience, effort was taken to create a distraction free, comfortable environment, self-orchestrated to promote focus, privacy, and mindfulness to conversations.
App notifications, personal devices, environmental distractions, and other people all affect a person’s ability to stay focused and active in a meeting.
Extended periods of online meetings an da lack of an ergonomic setup contribute to digital fatigue, difficulty concentrating & emotional exhaustion.
Physical & Digital Distractions
Digital Fatigue
A frictionless experience to join online meetings is critical. User’s shouldn’t need to worry about their video quality, volume, or camera.
Smaller Screens hinder non-verbal communication such as eye contact and legible body language.
Burden of Orchestration
Expressions & Non-Verbal Cues
Distraction Free
Life Size Render
Comfort & Wellbeing
Eye to Eye
The furniture exploration for ‘Project Ghost’ is segmented into 3 components: digital counterpart, lounge & partition; each contributing to a natural conversation where technology fades away and focus is on the remote participant. Video conferencing hardware is discretely integrated to capture eye contact and speech in a natural way, avoiding disconnected audio and sightlines.
4 phases of functional prototyping over the span of 9 months, to validate and refine the meeting experience, culminated in a final concept exhibited by Steelcase and Logitech at ISE Barcelona 2023.
Ocular™ View
Post ISE Barcelona, Project Ghost evolved to address the aspect of total privacy especially in the context of medical consultation where sensitive information is shared and more than one occupant may be present.